At the Stade de France
Total change of scenery. Between Faro and Saint-Denis, two worlds apart for the Blues three days apart. The palm trees and the sun have given way to the heavy Parisian air and the A1 motorway which borders the Dionysian enclosure. But the initial objective remains the same: to win again before the summer holidays to see a little more qualification for Euro 2024 (June 14-July 14) next summer. In a full Stade de France for the last match of the season, and on a lawn that is not in worse condition despite the storm on Sunday evening than the moldy playing field against Gibraltar (0-3) on Friday in a Estadio Algarve almost empty, the vice-world champions are expected to give a final push against Greece (8:45 p.m., TF1).
A victory against his group B runner-up and the France team, with four victories in as many games, will have already taken a big step towards Germany, the scene of the next Euro. Here lies the only ambition of the Blues, before heading off on Monday evening to the four corners of the world to cut with football and regenerate bodies and minds slain by a Dantesque 2022-2023 exercise in terms of calendar. But that, Fifa doesn’t care…
The adversity will be quite different against the Greeks of Gustavo Poyet (ephemeral coach of the Girondins de Bordeaux for seven months in 2018), winners of Ireland on Friday (2-1) and authors of a faultless in these beginnings of playoffs (2 wins in 2 games). Without going so far as to present Greece as a monster of European football, the 51st nation in the world in the Fifa ranking has nothing to do with Gibraltar, one of the weakest. “Our opponent will be of much better quality, attests Deschamps, who should make a turnover with the return of Mike Maignan in goal and Dayot Upamecano in central defense. Greece will not just defend. “Not as much as the Gibraltarians, that’s for sure, but it’s hard to imagine the evening visitors taking a multitude of risks against Mbappé, Griezmann or even Dembélé and Coman.
In an extended season that began last September against Austria (2-0) and was forever marked by the journey to the World Cup final against Argentina, with eternal regrets (3-3, 4 tabs 2), it is time for Captain Mbappé’s partners to end a successful exercise (9 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses for 25 goals scored and 10 conceded).
After the World Cup, Deschamps had to pursue, constrained and forced by the retirement of some (LLoris, Mandanda, Varane, Benzema) or the repeated injuries of others (L. Hernandez, Kimpembe, Pogba, Kanté), an overhaul of the membership already started before Qatar. This group has only six 2018 world champions in its ranks (Areola, Pavard, Griezmann, Dembélé, Giroud, Mbappé) and two elements with more than 100 selections (Giroud-Griezmann with 123 and 120 caps). This regeneration, facilitated by a reservoir that makes all the world selections dream, allows Deschamps, whose contract runs until 2026, to glimpse the future with ambition and serenity.
To do this, we must first dispatch current affairs. To win this Monday evening in a Stade de France which requires only that, with maximum attendance synonymous with a popularity rating more than ever at the zenith. “A victory against Greece will be a big step towards the Euros, you have to stay focused,” said Kingsley Coman, one of the only really hard-hitting strikers on Friday night in southern Portugal. A final push to finish on a good impression and a qualification well under way in just four games, that’s all we ask this Monday evening from this French team.
